Lotteries and commercial promotions have popularized games in which players can learn immediately whether they have won a sought-after prize. These "instant-win" games often consist of card stock onto which prize-related symbols are printed. The symbols are subsequently covered by an opaque layer of material, typically latex, to hide the symbols from view. After obtaining possession of such an instant-win game, the player need merely remove the opaque covering to expose the prize-related symbols.
Desbiens U.S. Pat. No. 5,074,566 discloses one such "instant-win" game. As described in the Desbiens patent, a multi-box grid containing randomly-selected numbers and, in at least one box, an "instant prize" symbol is printed onto a substrate. The printed grid is thereafter covered with a "scratchable," opaque coating and the coating overprinted with a second grid containing numerals identical to those covered by the opaque coating. The overprinted grid does not include the instant prize symbol or symbols hidden by the coating, however, so their presence initially remains unknown to the recipient of the game. By removing the opaque coating, the player can view the instant prize symbols printed on the substrate and, presumably, immediately determine whether a sought-after prize has been won.